St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1887-12-03

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new, and you come in, all bedusted and
tired, to your home, the first thing you
want is refreshing ablution; and l am
glad to know that after we get through
the pilgrimage of this world-the hard,
dusty pilgrimage-we will find well at
the gate In that one wash, away will
go our sins and sorrows. | do not
care whether cherub, or seraph, or
my own departed friends in that
blessed land place to my lips the
cup, the touch of that cup will be life,
will be Heaven! l was reading of how
the ancients sought for the fountain of
perpetual youth. They thought if they
could only find and drink out of that
well, the old would become young again,
the sick would be cured, and everybody
would have eternal iuvenescence. Of
course, they could not find it. Eureka
| have found it 1.-The water of the we'll
of Bethlehem, which is by the gate
| think we had better make bargain
with those who leave us, going out of
this world from time to time, as to where
we will meet them. Travellers parting
appoint a place of meeting. They say,
I'VE will meet at Rome, or we will meet
at Stockholm, or Vienna, or Jerusalem,
or Bethlehem Now, when we come to
stand by the death-pillow Of those who
are leaving us for the far land, do not
let us weep as though we would
never see them again, but let us,
there standing, appoint place where we
will meet. Where shall it be? Shall it
be on the banks of the river? No. The
banks are too long. Shall it be in the
temple? No; no. There is such a host
therefor thousand times ten thousand.
Where shall we meet our loved ones?
Let us make an appointment to meet at
the we'll by the gate. Oh, Heaven ! Sweet
Heaven! Dear Heaven. Heaven, where
our good friends are. Heaven, where
Jesus is Heaven, Heaven!
But while | stand here there come
revulsion of feeling when | look into
your eyes and know there are souls here
dying of thirst, Notwithstanding the we'll
at the gate. Between them and the well
of Heaven there is great army of sin;
and though Christ is ready to clear way
to that we'll for them, they will not have
his love Or intercession.
But | am glad to know that you may
come yet. The well is here-the well of
Heaven. Come; do not care how fee
bic you are. Let me take hold of your
arm, and steady you up to the well-curb.
"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come" |
would rather win one soul to Christ this
morning than wear the crown of the
worlds dominion. Do not let any man
go away and say did not invite him.
Oh, if you could only just look at my
Lord once; if you could just see Him full
in the face; ay, if you could only do
as that woman did whom | read about at
the beginning of the service-just come
up behind Him and touch His feet-me-
thinks you would live. In Northern New
Jersey. one winter, three little children
wandered off from home in snow storm.
Night came on. Father and mother
said, Where are the children? They
could not be found. They started out in
haste, and the news ran to the neigh
bors, and before morning it was
said that there were hundreds of
men hunting the mountains for
those three children, but found them
not. After while man imagined there
was place that had not been looked at,
and he went and saw the three children.
He examined their bodies. He found
that the older boy had taken off his coat
and wrapped it around the younger one,
the baby, and then taken off his vest and
put it around the other one; and there
they all died, he probably the first,
for he had no coat or vest. Oh,
it was touching scene that was
brought to light! l was on the
ground little while after, and it brought
the whole scene to my mind; and l
thought to myself of more melting
scene than that: it is that Jesus, our
elder brother, took off the robe of His
royalty, and laid aside the last garment
of earthly comfort, that He might wrap
our poor souls from the blast Oh, the
height, and the depth, and the length,
and the breadth of the love of Christ!